Timber anchor



R. E. BEEGLE TIMBER ANCHOR Dec. 3, 1929.

2 Sheets-Sheet 1 [ndentor Filed Feb. 1927 Dec. 3, 1929. R. E BEEGLE 1,737,908

TIMBER ANCHOR Filed Feb. 5, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 171%4 2 Biz! a I a ii a f d Patented Dec. 3, 192 9 PATENT OFFICE RAYMOND E. BEEGLE, OF

EAST ST. LOUIS, ILLINOIS TIMBER ANCHOR Application filed February This invention relates to improvements in timber anchors, especially to anchors adapted to prevent checking and Splitting of railway cross ties, and to novel combinations with such ties, of devices of the sort herein described with a view to preventing spike splitting, vertical checking and season checks usually existing in cross-ties and other timber exposed to the weather.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide a double purpose reinforcing iron, which iron is equally adaptable for use as a single iron, or which can be used'to advantage where two or more irons are employed for reinforcing the end sections of railway ties.

A further object in connection with the above is the creation of a reversible anchor which can be reversed or turned upside down to get an opposite result, and one which is provided with terminals adapted to interlock with the terminals of like anchors, to provide the effect of a continuous band type of anchor when two or more of my anchors are used in the same tie-section.

A further object is the provision of an anchor iron having a maximum range of adaptability for meeting the demands of various situations normally encountered in timher of the described class. This refers particularly to the wind shakes, spike split, season checking and other irregularities in the grain and internal structure of the timber,

A further object is to attain a reinforcing anchor or iron which has a maximum length and maximum holding power per unit of metal used, and one which provides all of the necessary security and advantages, regardless of the amount of metal used, and

0 without the injurious effects common to existing types of reinforcing anchors.

Further objects and advantages of this invention will appear from the drawings and the following detailed description thereof.

This invention constitutes certain changes and improvements over the type of anchor disclosed in Letters Patent No: 1,7 02,376, issued to me under date of February 19, 1929.

Although my invention consists largely in the construction and arrangement of parts 5', 1927. Serial No. 166,060.

hereinafter described and particularly pointed out in the claims, yet I do not limit my invention to the precise form or construction of parts shown or the several parts thereof, inasmuch as various alterations may be made without changing the scope of my invention.

In the drawings, Figs. 1, 2, and 3 are end elevations of various usual sections of railway cross-ties to which several approved forms of my device have been applied. Fig. 1 shows a preferred form. These figures show different types of end section usually encountered, and show the grain, the usual locations of the timber heart, developed season checks, and the usual form of horizontal and vertical checks, as well as the form of break known to the trade as cat ears. The latter appear at the upper corners of Fig. 1. These figures illustrate in addition to my novel types of anchor, preferred locations of the anchors with respect to irregularities nor mally tending to develop in railway cross ties and other timber. In Figures 1 to 3, inclusive, the actual proportions existing between the dimensions of various parts of my different types of anchor and in the tie itself have been carefully preserved for reasons which will hereinafter appear.

Figs. 4 to 9, inclusive, show various types of anchors in elevation for the purposes of effecting a comparison of, and visualizlng at a glance, the differences and advantages of some of the various types of reinforcing anchor within the scope of the present application.

Fig. 10 shows a preferred form of section which may be used in forming any of the de scribed types of anchor.

Fig. 1L shows a modified form of secondary terminal element hereinafter described and .Fig. 12 shows a still further modification of the secondary terminal element.

Referring by reference characters to the drawings, a indicates a body portion prefer- 95 ably formed of a straight metal strip and having at one or both ends thereof an anchor face I). Each of the anchor faces I) is, by preference, substantially shorter than the body portion a. At the free extremity of each of 100 the anchor faces b, I prefer to form a terminal comprising a primary terminal member 0 and a secondary terminal member (Z. -Where the members 0 and (Z are joined at substantially a right angle this construction results in a substantially L shaped terminal. By the use of a comparatively small amount of metal in the terminal, comprising elements a and cl, I have found that the holding power of anchors of this type is increased greatly out of proportion to the amount of metal added to form this additional terminal member. A series of wedging tests conducted by the applicant shows that the secondary terminal member (5 provides a decidedly increased holding power over anchors not similarly equipped.

Some of the forms of anchor illustrated possess incidental advantages found in few types of existing irons. The examples illust-rated as Figs. 7 and 8, may be packed closely together so as to nest without tangling or interlocking, and without interfering with the withdrawal of single anchors for the purpose of manual or mechanical driving. Further. several of the irons illustrated are reversible, i. e., may be turned over or upside down to give an opposite result when driven into the timber. A further advantage will be seen from Figs. 10, 11 and 12, showing the bevel of the iron to be on the inside of the metal section from which the iron is formed. This results in a definite constricting, wedging effect on the timber embraced and gripping power of the iron. In Fig. 1, the vertical dotted lines indicate the outer limits, and denote approximately the location of the usual spike splits in railway ties. The length of the body portion a of my improved iron has been determined with reference to these usual lines of spike split. The anchor face I) and the terminal elements, as will be seen, tend to prevent spik'e split, rather than to expand and aggravate such defects, as in the case of the older type of anchor. Under a wedging or splitting stress the developed strain is along the line of the trench resulting from driving the anchor into the end section of the timber or tie. An anchor with curved extremities tends easily to slip or yield along the line of this trench. The angular faces and terminal members of my device serve effectively to prevent yielding or slippage along this line, under any ordinary splitting stresses. It will be seen that the preferred forms of anchors, such as that shown in Fig. 1, are-adapted to embrace, at least partially, an unbroken unit or area of the timber to which they are applied. This is in marked distinction from, and a great advantageover older anchors which have portions crossing or re-crossing the timber between extremities of the iron.

An advantage, in production, of the types of anchor herein described, lies in the economy of metal necessary to their construction. With particular reference, say to Fig. 1, it will be seen that the overall length of the anchor, added to the width thereof, is substantially equal to the length of strip from which the anchor is formed. In heretofore prevailing types of anchor, the length of strip employed is usually greatly in excess of the combined length and breadth of the anchor as formed, and hence regarded as extravagant of material, both as to dimensions and weight. Due to the conformity of the preferred form of the present anchor, having the general outline of an open-side polygon, it will be seen that the center of gravity of the iron lies outside the strip of metal from which it is formed.

An additional advantage of my method of applying these novel forms of anchor, lies in its adaptability for joining the cat ears described above. It will be seen from Fig. 1 that the anchor faces 6 project across the lines of cleavage between the cat ears and the main body of the tie at substantially a right angle to these lines. The holding power of the anchor is not dependent upon friction alone, but by virtue of the terminals, the anchor is securely locked within each of the cat ears.

A modified form of anchor may be used to advantage where circular checks or wind.

shakes are present alone or with the often encountered vertical check, such as that shown in Fig. 2. The obvious advantages of the greater holding power and span of my improved anchors will appear from the showing in Fig. 2. In such a situation, I prefer to use two irons of the type shown. In this situation, especially in the case of circular checks or wind shakes the advantage of a reversible iron will be apparent. Due to the hook-like terminal portions of the anchor,

which may be arranged for interlocking engagement with those of a companion anchor, certain forms are adapted, when used in pairs, to provide all of the advantages of a continuous band. This anchor may well be used singly to good advantage, but due to the end members, may well be .used in pairs and the terminals interlocked. This arrangement has all of the advantages with none of the disadvantages-of the prevailing continuous band. The shape of my composite band may be varied to suit conditions. It can be driven, shipped, handled and manufactured at a lower cost than any prevailing continuous band t pe of anchor.

It 0 ten results that vertical or horizontal checks divide the tie or timber into uarters, as shown. The obvious advantage 0 the use of two anchors of the kind illustrated, for tying together the four quarters of the tie, will-be apparent. The reversible feature of the iron or anchor enables a similar iron to r the end sections of common varieties of timber, a few examples of which has been illustrated in Figs. 1 to 3, inclusive.

The terminal element d may be formed by bending a strip material of which the anchor may be formed to give an anchor of one of the outlines shown. 'In lieu of this the end of the anchor may be bifurcated, as shownin Fig. 11, and the furcations spread in opposite directions. Fig. 12 indicates a further modification in which the secondary terminal element d may be stamped or blanked out of the member 0, and bent as desired.

It will be seen that the forms of timber anchor herein described have been designed for a particular application, namely, as reinforcing means in the endsof railway cross ties, and that the proportion of the various parts provides an anchor of the maximum strength and security, since it prevents spike splits, vertical checks and season checking, besides having an unusually wide range of adaptability. These advantages, in addition to the value of the anchor in tying-in and preventing further separation of loose slabs of the timber, go to the essence of this invention.

I claim:

1. A timber anchor having substantially the outline of an open-side polygon, one side of which constitutes a substantially straight body portion, an anchor face at each end thereof, constituting adjacent sides of the polygon, and each carrying a relatively short, inwardly directed terminal ;.said faces being shorter than said body portion and projecting therefrom at an obtuse angle, the body portion, faces and terminals of said anchor being adapted in use, to coact to define and clamp an unbroken unit of timber.

2. A timber anchor formed to constitute, substantially, an open-side polygon, the sides of which form certain of the anchor members, including a central body portion, anda pair of relatively divergent anchor faces extending from the same side of the body portion, and each carrying an inwardly directed angular member, constituting the terminals of said anchor, one of said faces being shorter than said body portion; said anchor being formed of a metal strip, and having its center of gravity outside of said strip.

3. A unitary timber anchor shaped to constitute, substantially, an open-side polygon having a base forming a central body portion,

and an anchor face at each end, and extending from the same side of the body portion, to constitute adjoining sides of the polygon, an angulate member at the end of each face, constituting the terminals of said anchor, the combined length and breadth of said anchor being substantially equivalent to the length of material in the anchor; said parts of the anchor being arranged to clamp together, portions of an unbroken unit of timber, defined by said anchor.

,4. A timber anchor constructed of a metal strip, shaped to form an open-side polygon, and comprising a central body portion, corresponding to the base of the said polygon, and a pair of anchor faces relatively shorter than said body portion and extending from the same side thereof to constitute sides of the polygon, one of said faces carrying an inwardly directed primary terminal at an extremity of said anchor, all of said members coacting and being proportioned and related so as to clamp an unbroken unit of timber; said anchor having a combined length and breadth substantially equal to the length of material in the anchor.

5. A timber anchor having substantially the outline of an open-side trapezoid and comprising a central body portion, a pair of anchor faces substantially shorter than said body portion, an inwardly extended L shaped terminal attached to one of said faces, at an extremity of said anchor, said body, faces and a portion of said terminal being so disposed as to define rectilinear portions of said trapezoid, and to serve as a partial enclosure for an unbroken unit of timber; one of said anchor faces being disposed at other than a right angle to said body portion.

6. A timber reinforcing anchor of substantially polygonal outline, having an open side and divergent, rectilinear anchor faces L shaped locking terminals carried by the anchor faces, one of said terminals being extended inwardly of the anchor, whereby the anchor is adapted for use with a companion anchor and to interlock with terminals thereon, the resulting pair of anchors being adapted thereby to form a substantially polygonal composite continuous band to enclose a unit of timber.

7. A timber reinforcing anchor comprising a pair of identical members, each member having substantially the outline of an openside polygon, and lockingterminals formed near the open-side of each of said members,

for engagement with the other of said mem- DISCLAIMER 1,737,908.-Raym0nd E. Beagle, East St. Louis, Ill. TIMBER ANCHOR. Patent dated December 3, 1929. Disclaimer filed June 3, 1944, by the patentee.

Hereby disclaims from the scope of each and every claim of said patent all metal strip anchors not adapted to have the entire strip length thereof driven edgewise into the sound end wood of railway cross ties to a depth equal to the strip width and not adapted to be thus driven without crushing the fibres of said wood;

And disclaims from the scope of each and every claim any and all devices of whatsoever nature except such as are intended, in use, to prevent or retard the splitting of the end section of railway cross ties;

And further disclaims from the scope of claims 2 and 4 any structure formed from a strip of metal not having substantially uniform cross sectional thickness throughout its length.

[Ofiicz'al Gazette July 4, 1.944.] 

